1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a strategic board game, and more particularly, to a game device and method for a game of chance and strategy involving the manipulating of a plurality of different directional tiles to create a dynamic non-static playing board in a changeable maze configuration, which is changeable during play and using specially marked random selection means such as dice to move playing pieces through the maze configuration and to alter the maze configuration.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Games of chance and strategy games have been popular throughout time. The excitement and challenge of the play and winning the game as well as the social interaction are a continual attraction to people of all ages.
Strategy board games often involve moving pieces on a board and some games involve setting up the movement structure of the board, but the prior art devices do not provide initial strategic structuring of the board as well as dynamic restructuring of the board in different ways to alter the movement paths and positions of pieces on the board.
Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 3,025,063, issued Mar. 13, 1962 to Magee, provides a game that requires both skill and chance. Each player selects the route of travel for his pawn and may also block off different paths in the network so as to prevent movement by any other pawn along such path beyond the block. The distance each players moves his pawn is determined by a chance device. The objective of the game is for the player to bring his pawn home before any other player.
Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 3,731,934, issued May 8, 1973 to Shoptaugh, shows a game board that has a series of sliders with spaces thereon for the playing pieces and also containing barrier elements. The sliders are mounted for lateral movement between home positions disposed at opposite sides of the board. Each slider has two rows of spaces and the barrier elements are arranged to separate adjacent spaces in one row and to separate a space in one row from the aligned space in the other row. The object of the game is for one player to move his playing piece from one side of the board to the other before his opponent.
Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 6,065,750, issued May 23, 2000 to Mattoon, claims a maze board game for providing an enjoying game for a number of players. The board game includes a base member and a generally transparent top member spaced above the base member. A middle board is interposed between the base member and the top member. The middle board is rotatably mounted to the base member. The middle board has a plurality of generally rectangular playing spaces arranged in a grid has a number of columns and a number of rows extending generally perpendicular to the columns. The playing spaces include a plurality of starting spaces, a plurality of barrier spaces, a plurality of exchange spaces, and a plurality of loss of turn spaces. The middle board also has a generally rectangular ending space.
Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 5,820,125, issued Oct. 13, 1998 to Olsen, describes a board game wherein a player must move a token through a plurality of playing fields and return to a starting position. Movement between playing fields is conditioned on the successful completion of a requirement such as correctly answering a question or collecting a plurality of tiles in a desired combination. The first player to pass through each of the playing fields and return to the starting position is declared the winner.
Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 5,607,159, issued Mar. 4, 1997 to Bryson, discloses a board game that comprises a game board, tokens and a random indicator which may be tiles or dice. The game board has a playing surface defined by a matrix of spaces, and the random indicator is used to direct the movement of the tokens across the surface. The tiles or dice each have faces thereon, wherein each face bears three types of indicia. One type of indicia indicates the direction of movement of the token, either forward or backward, the second type of indicia indicates the amount of movement of the token, and the third type of indicia indicates the axis of reference the token is supposed to move along.
Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 5,464,224, issued Nov. 7, 1995 to Rosenbaum, indicates a game board that includes a field defined by an array of playing spaces arranged in rows and columns on the field and a plurality of edge regions, wherein each edge region is disposed between a corresponding pair of adjacent playing spaces and wherein visually distinguishable first and second home positions are defined by two of the playing spaces. The game board further includes first and second visually distinguishable playing pieces and first and second sets of fence pieces. The fence pieces of the first set are visually distinguishable from fence pieces of the second set. The fences are stored in a bag from which they are randomly withdrawn during the game.
Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 5,333,878, issued Aug. 2, 1994 to Calhoun, puts forth a maze type board game that comprises a game board having a plurality of maze areas and segments interconnected between maze areas comprising a plurality of spaces. The spaces include: movement spaces, starting spaces and transport spaces, at,least one separate movable search piece for each player, and a plurality of maze walls for disposition on the game board, the spaces and maze walls having cooperative dimensions such that a plurality of maze walls are required to define a maze on the game board. The game is played in an attempt by one player to find the marked orb(s) hidden among decoy orb(s) of another player while the player, whose marked orb(s) is/are being searched for, places maze walls to delay or prevent other player(s) from finding the marked orb(s) thus forming a maze that must have at least one entrance and path leading to every marked orb in that maze area from the interconnected segments between the maze areas.
Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 4,817,957, issued Apr. 4, 1989 to Reeves, concerns a game played on a playing board that has a plurality of intersecting lateral and longitudinal grooves defining a grid of squares. A plurality of laterally and longitudinally oriented movable bars on the grid define a maze therewith. The movable bars are operatively connected to the grooves and respectively move laterally and longitudinally along the grooves. The movement of the bars changes the maze paths. Each bar has a width of one square and a length of three squares of the grid. The game apparatus also includes a plurality of playing pieces, objects for indicating random numbers of permissible movements of the playing pieces and the bars, and a surrounding frame to define the playing area and to retain the bars. Normally, an even number of players, such as two, attempt to move their playing pieces from opposite ends across the grid, end to end, the randomizing objects indicating the permissible number of squares across which the playing pieces can be moved and which laterally and/or longitudinally oriented bars can be shifted on the grid. The bars preferably include mechanical interfaces with the grooves of the grid which assure a stable position exactly covering a line of three adjacent squares.
Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 4,813,679, issued Mar. 21, 1989 to Hoffman, illustrates a strategy oriented board game wherein the board is divided into a plurality of elongated slidable strips. A first set of strips have intersections formed by first parallel lines intersecting second parallel lines. A second set of strips have similar intersections relatively offset from the intersections of the first set of strips. When the edges of the strips are aligned, the parallel lines are all connected forming linear intersecting pathways running diagonally across the face of the strips. Each player has a plurality of markers that are placed at home positions at opposite ends of the board. The markers are selectively movable across the strips along the pathways formed by the connection of the parallel lines. The objective is to move a player's marker to the opponent's home positions. According to the rules the strips may be slid, thereby re-positioning the markers located on the slid strip.
Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 4,465,280, issued Aug. 14, 1984 to Dimitriu, is for a maze game that includes individual pieces, that may be placed upon a game board, and markers that are moved along grooves formed in the upper surfaces of the individual pieces. The grooves of the individual pieces may be provided with gates extending across the grooves, the gates being pivotable within an intersection of grooves in a manner not determinable in advance by a moving player.
Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 4,252,320, issued Feb. 24, 1981 to Rouse, provides a board game apparatus for play by three players or groups of players which includes a game board bearing a substantially rectangular maze thereon. The maze is divided into a number of spaces or steps and includes a number of blocking positions. Residence strips are delineated or formed adjacent three sides of the maze. On the residence strips are delineated numbers of residence positions. Starting positions are delineated on the remaining fourth side of the maze. The play of the game is dictated by dice. A marker is placed on one of the residence positions on each of the three residence strips. This marker is designated a Residence. The object of the game is to move a marker or token from a starting position through the maze to visit the space directly in front of a Residence, a Doorstep. The dice also determine the opportunity for a player to place or move a blocking marker into a blocking position on the maze and thereby impede the movement of the other players token. Points or “Bugs” are scored by visiting the doorstep of all three Residence on the board in any order. Also included on the game board are blocking and scoring marker holding rows, a dice storage area, a visit-indicator, a Bug counter, and a token holding device.
Prior art U.S. patent application No. 20020089121, issued Jul. 11, 2002 to Bjornson, shows a rotating maze board game that includes a random chance unit, a plurality of game piece tokens, and a plurality of game board units wherein each of the game board units includes a generally flat rectangular game board segment having a playing surface provided with a plurality of interconnected pathways having both numbered squares and blank squares wherein the interconnected pathways further include connecting squares formed at the midpoint of all four sides of each game board segment, such that all of the game board segments, etc., may be rotated in any direction relative to one another during the course of the board game.
Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 4,552,363, issued Nov. 12, 1985 to Rehkemper, claims a game in which the players construct a three dimensional playing field during the course of play using pieces that include assigned tokens and common tiles. Each of the tiles is divided into a number of spaces such that each space is adapted to support either an assigned token or a portion of another tile with latter establishing a new level. A board provides a base surface with markings for the placement of the first level of tiles. Each of the tiles is constructed such that its upper surface can support other tiles or tokens. The tokens are supported by recesses located on the upper surface of the tiles. Other tiles are supported by intersecting slots located on the upper surface of the tiles. The game is won by the first player to place an assigned token atop a preselected level.
Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 4,850,595, issued Jul. 25, 1989 to Sherman, describes a method and apparatus for playing a competitive crossword puzzle game that includes a crossword puzzle that has individual word portions having associated definitions constituting clues for the solving of the individual word portions of the puzzle. Additional numerical indicia associated with each individual word portion representing the length of each word forming a word portion. Marking apparatus for filling in the individual word portions of the crossword puzzle in distinguishable characters. A die including numerical indicia on different ones of the sides of the die and with each indicia constituting the number of letters representing the length of the word to be used for filling in the individual word portions of the crossword puzzle. The players taking turns filing in the individual word portions of the crossword puzzle using the marking apparatus. Each turn for each player includes rolling the die to determine the length of the word to be filled in by the player. Each player during each individual turn matching the numerical indicia provided by the roll of the die with the additional numerical indicia and awarding points to each player based on the length of each word filled in correctly by each player during their respective turns.
Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 4,674,753, issued Jun. 23, 1987 to Hochstim, discloses a boardless maze game. The game is played on any suitable and substantially flat surface. Apparatus comprises a deck of 28 “L” shaped playing pieces, a deck holder for holding a deck of stacked playing pieces and a plurality of identifying markers. The playing pieces are marked with a heavy border to define a wall. The heavy border is interrupted in three places to define an exit. The playing pieces are marked on both sides, with one side being a mirror image of the other, so that the playing piece may be turned over and played on either side. A maze is constructed from the playing pieces, the maze being started by the placement of a first playing piece upon the playing surface by the first player in turn. The object of the game is to move a marker so as to escape from the maze through an exit as the construction of the maze continues. Rules are provided covering the playing of the game and include rules for team playing and match playing. The game also includes the occurrence or construction of “courtyards” and applicable rules are also provided therefor.
What is needed is a game of chance and strategy that provides maximum challenge and fun and infinite variety by being able to create and alter the structure of the board initially as well as during play to affect the direction and position of the pieces on the board while providing a chance roll of the dice or activation of another random number selection meansfor the number of moves of each piece which must be moved strategically through the board.